Alfred Gause
|birth_place=Königsberg |death_place=Bonn |image=File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1982-0927-502, Nordafrika, Navarini, Rommel, Diesener.jpg |caption=Alfred Gause (right), Chief of Staff to Erwin Rommel, speaks with the commander, Italian General Enea Navarini (left) and Colonel Paul Diesener (behind Rommel). |allegiance= (to 1918) (to 1933) |branch=Heer |serviceyears=1914–1945 |rank=Generalleutnant |commands=LXVII. Armeekorps II. Armeekorps |unit= |battles=World War I World War II *Annexation of Austria *Annexation of the Sudetenland *Battle of France *North African Campaign **Western Desert Campaign **Operation Torch **Tunisia Campaign *Italian Campaign *Courland Pocket |awards=Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross }} Alfred Gause (14 February 1896 – 30 September 1967) was a highly decorated Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht. He was wounded in the First World War, and was awarded both the Iron Cross, Second Class and the Iron Cross, First Class. In the interwar years he was among the 4,000 officers selected to remain in the Reichwehr, the restricted sized German army. He served primarily on the staff of the First Prussian Engineer battalion. During the Second World War he was a highly valued staff officer. Gause was initially sent to Africa with a large staff by Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH), the German Army High Command, to act as a liaison officer with the Italian High Command, Comando Supremo. Gause had specific instructions not to place himself under the command of Erwin Rommel, but did so when Rommel told him categorically that the command of all troops in Africa were vested in him. This was not correct, but Gause acceded to Rommel's authority, and served as his Chief of Staff.Lewin p. 53 He proved invaluable to the famous desert commander, who was well known to direct his forces from the front and who frequently would lose touch with his command staff during operations. Gause spent two and a half years serving Rommel in the Afrika Korps. Though initially sent by OKH to keep an eye on the independent commander, they soon developed an excellent working relationship. In December, 1941 Gause was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. In early May 1943 he was rotated into the officer reserve force, and thus was off the continent when the Axis forces in Africa surrendered. (left) and Gerd von Rundstedt. Bodo Zimmermann is in the background]] Gause rejoined Rommel in his postings in Italy and Northern France. In September 1944 he became Chief of Staff of the 6th Panzer Army, which he held through the end of November. In April he was assigned to Generalkommando II Armeekorps in Kurland (General staff of Army Corps, Kurland). Alfred Gause was captured by Soviet troops in the Courland Pocket in 1945 and was a prisoner of the Soviets until his release in 1955. Awards and decorations * Iron Cross (1914) ** 2nd Class ** 1st Class * Wound Badge (1914) ** in Black * Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 * Anschluss Medal * Sudetenland Medal with Prague Castle clasp * Iron Cross (1939) ** 2nd Class ** 1st Class * Panzer Badge in Silver * Silver Medal of Military Valor (Italy) * Military Order of Savoy (Italy) * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ** Knight's Cross on 13 December 1941 as Generalmajor and Chef der Generalstab Panzer Gruppe "Afrika"Fellgiebel 2000, p. 160. * Ärmelband Afrika * Ärmelband Courland * Wehrmacht Long Service Award, 4th to 1st class References ;Citations ;Bibliography * Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5. * * * Scherzer, Veit (2007). Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. * External links *Lexikon der Wehrmacht *World War 2 Awards.com Category:1896 births Category:1967 deaths Category:People from Königsberg Category:People from East Prussia Category:Wehrmacht generals Category:German military personnel of World War I Category:Prussian Army personnel Category:Recipients of The Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 Category:Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914) Category:Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939) Category:Recipients of the Iron Cross, 1st class Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross Category:Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Category:Military Order of Savoy Category:German prisoners of war Category:World War II prisoners of war held by the Soviet Union Category:Reichswehr personnel